I-88

About I-88

Also known as Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway.

From Moline, IL (I-74) to Aurora, IL (I-290/I-294 area)

Interstate 88 in Illinois is an east-west toll road running about 140 miles from Interstate 80 near the Quad Cities to the western suburbs of Chicago. From its western end near East Moline and Silvis it crosses the open farmland of north-central Illinois, passing Rock Falls, Rochelle, and DeKalb before entering the densely developed corridor along the Fox River and the western Chicago metropolitan area. The eastern end ties into the regional freeway network at the junction of Interstate 290 and Interstate 294 in Hillside.

The route is operated by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and was long known as the East-West Tollway before being renamed for President Ronald Reagan. It serves a string of fast-growing suburbs including Aurora, Naperville, and Downers Grove, where it functions as a major commuter artery into the Chicago job market. West of the suburbs it settles into a rural, agricultural character for most of its length.

Because it links the Quad Cities region with the Chicago area, the highway carries a mix of long-distance traffic, regional commuters, and freight. The corridor passes near Reagan's birthplace of Tampico and his boyhood home of Dixon, the connection that prompted the memorial naming.

State-by-state mileage

State	Miles
Illinois	140.6
Total	140.6

History

The East-West Tollway opened in the late 1950s as part of the early Illinois toll road system and was later incorporated into the Interstate network. It received the Interstate 88 designation in 1987, the same period in which the Illinois route became formally part of the system.

The tolled portion underwent major reconstruction and widening in the 2000s, with work between IL 59 and York Road expanding the road to four lanes in each direction.

Major cities and places

Did you know

• This is the Illinois Interstate 88, distinct from the unconnected Interstate 88 in New York.
• It is operated as a toll road by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.
• It is named the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway and passes near Reagan's birthplace and boyhood home.
• The western terminus is at I-80 near the Quad Cities and the eastern terminus is at I-290 and I-294 in Hillside.